Question of the day: is it possible to rebuild Moscow without the participation of architects? Answer is yes!

Lyudmila Butuzova

The State Duma hosted a round table on the topic "Urban planning policy in the Russian Federation and strengthening the role of the architectural community to create a high-quality urban environment". There participated famous architects, as well as deputy Minister of Construction of the Russian Federation Dmitry Volkov.

As the participants of the “round table” say, the deputy minister of construction did not listen to all the speakers, tried to smooth the corners as much as possible and answered in a streamlined way, “as is customary among officials”.

Nevertheless, instead of the planned two hours, the "table" lasted 3.5 hours, it was hot and nervous. And so much so that those who have not spoken out continue the discussion on social networks with the active participation of Muscovites.

Yelena Bazhenova, Vice President of the Union of Architects of Russia, Head of the Department of Architectural Practice at Moscow Architectural Institute, set the tone. Her question was curious: where is that part of the construction business that would play its symphony, as it was during the war years, when Shostakovich created the seventh symphony, which was listened to by the blockade? Alas, so far no synergy between builders and architects has been found. The renovation, which was supposed to cover 1117 cities of the Russian Federation, essentially settled in Moscow alone and turned from creation into destruction. At the moment, residents and professionals are barred from making decisions that are being implemented by the authorities for the sake of the construction business.

The theme was developed by the architect Vladimir Vershinin. He cited interesting statistics, comparing the promises and realities of the renovation project: today there are 13 five-story buildings for one high-rise building! Instead of giving people the opportunity to live in an ecologically clean environment, builders are erecting huge "concrete candles" and creating a small playground, believing that they have made our children happy. He recalled that, presenting the renovation project, Sergei Sobyanin said that the number of storeys in high-rise buildings would be from 6 to 14. But today 14 floors is the line from which they went further, erecting 27-40-storey buildings.

“The authors of the renovation now occupy high positions in the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation. Should we be surprised at the statements of Deputy Prime Minister Khusnulin that the renovation should be aggressive? Apart from aggression, our residents do not receive anything from the developer anyway", -concluded Vershinin.

Almost every architect spoke with indignation that the builders de facto tried on the role of an architect. The result is vertical coffins from the PIK company and similar “masterpieces”, lack of social infrastructure in the required volume, increased density and number of storeys. With this approach, there can be no talk of any comfortable urban environment mentioned in the National Projects. But about the profits of the construction oligarchs - very much even possible.

The question was asked: does anyone remember the name of at least one builder-oligarch of the era of "Stalinist architecture", when the recognizable image of Moscow was created? Name even the builder of the Mausoleum? Nobody named. But the name of the architect Shchusev was easily remembered. This alone indicates how distorted the situation is now, when architects were pushed away from construction, reducing their role to purely decorative, and even then, if a big name promotes the sale of apartments in new buildings. As a result, there are no normal projects (and they are done by architects) - there are no normal buildings, and the country is filled with ridiculous "freaks". Without understanding this simple truth, the situation cannot be remedied. Reclaiming the role of urban architect and balancing the balance is a huge challenge.

Academician of the Academy of Architectural Heritage Mark GURARI raised the issue of taking into account ecology in construction, reservoirs and green areas in architecture. This is his old and sore subject. Even during the development of the renovation program in one of his interviews, he said:

“Renovation should be carried out, carefully understanding where it is profitable and where it is not. The thesis that it is cheaper to demolish and build a new one is not reasoned enough. It should be borne in mind that with an increase in population density, the urban crisis in Moscow will intensify. I never tire of repeating: it is necessary to constantly weigh whether every ruble, dollar or yuan invested in construction or a transport system, as well as in landscaping and landscaping will increase the load on Moscow or reduce it .. It is necessary to conduct a visual landscape analysis, which has long been is used in urban planning practice to test how 25-storey buildings will change the overall silhouette of Moscow and historical panoramas. After all, Moscow is the capital of Russia, and it doesn't have to be like Manhattan".

Deputy Minister Volkov tensed slightly after such speeches and turned the conversation to the main task that the ministry is busy with - the adoption of the law on architecture. It must be said that this bill has been frozen for three years in the Ministry of Construction itself, which, according to the Charter, is generally not entitled to deal with issues of architectural and urban planning activities. But they still develop something, having managed to do without consulting the architectural community. Not a single faction in the State Duma initiated the introduction of this bill, since even with the naked eye it is clear that it lacks the rights of architects and their ability to influence urban planning activities.

In the Ministry of Construction itself, heated discussions continue, in particular, on the issue of improving technical regulation. There is a fairly strong lobby there, which is unhappy that anyone (sanitary doctors, firefighters) dominates construction sites, but not builders. Meanwhile, according to the lobby, “the voice of the builder should become decisive, experienced developers are already successfully replacing inspectors, including architects, since their involvement in projects only leads to higher construction costs. The influence of lobbyists is not as insignificant as it might seem. At the round table, they recalled the recent scandal associated with the unexpected initiative of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia to merge the educational and methodological association "Architecture" with the educational and methodological association "Construction". In specialized universities, it is proposed to cancel drawing, composition and drawing upon admission - that is, what constitutes the essence and basis of the profession of an architect. In the opinion of the professional community, this could destroy the foundations of all the traditional training of architects and clear the way for amateurs "who are already disfiguring our cities with their unprofessional approach." Only the raised noise and the threat to appeal to the president of the country forced the initiators to abandon their venture.

If the country had a normal law on architecture, such "incidents" with predictable consequences were out of the question.

Based on the results of the round table, it was decided that in case of failure to include in the draft law on architecture, which is being developed by the Ministry of Construction, the proposals of the from the faction of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation will be introduced an alternative bill. As a compromise, the deputy. Minister Dmitry Volkov agreed to include the participants of the "round table" in the working group of the Ministry of Construction on the development of the law, which he heads. What will come of this, we will find out after the elections, when the State Duma will have a new composition and, possibly, new views on urban planning policy in the country and in the capital.

In the meantime, the development of a new General Plan of Moscow began.

"And how do the developers see the development goals of the city?", - asks the municipal deputy Nadezhda Zagordan.

"The head of the construction complex Bochkarev declares that it is necessary "to fill the fabric of the city with territories of various purposes, where there will be an ECONOMIC EFFECT FROM EVERY METER." protection of socially unprotected segments of the population and, finally, the economic well-being of the population. After optimization and renovation, and such statements, I'm afraid that it will be scary even to sit down to read the General Plan..."